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The Neighborhood Farm hiring Various Positions

Needham, Massachusetts

The Neighborhood Farm is a collection of market gardens. In 2008 we started growing in five Needham back yards because we couldn’t find available farm land in the Boston suburbs. Homeowners lent us a portion of their yards and we used them to grow vegetables, herbs and flowers – all without synthetic inputs of any kind. The number of sites and the logistics made us decide against pursuing organic certification. We had less than ¼ acre in production the first year, but managed to grow a lot of produce.

Since then we’ve grown a lot – adding and subtracting gardens from year to year as our needs and our garden hosts’ lives changed. We also began leasing a 5 acre field from The Trustees Of Reservations in Medfield. We now grow on about five and half acres and sell our produce at four local farmers’ markets, to restaurants, and through our Farmers’ Market CSA. For the 2014 growing season we will be based at Powisset Farm in Dover (where we rent barn space) and will be working at garden sites Needham and Dedham, the field in Medfield, and rented greenhouse space in Sharon. Despite the number of sites we use, more than 90% of our time will be spent at the field or at the barn, which are both on the Dover/Medfield line, less than 2 miles apart.

We do the majority of our work by hand though we have a primary tillage tractor and a walk behind BCS tractor. Even though we are growing on more land now, we still plant all our garden spaces intensively in an effort to maximize our growing space. We grow a lot of food on a relatively small amount of land.

As a family owned small business, we are committed to helping others prepare to start their own farming and gardening operations. We love to work with people exploring the possibilities of starting their own enterprises, and with people who are just looking for more experience in farming and gardening.

This year we are seeking people to fill the following full season positions:

Full Season Crew Leader

The crew leader position is intended for someone with 1 or more seasons of farming experience. The crew leader will be responsible for coordinating the crew each day, based on instructions received from the farm managers. This person needs to be able to manage others successfully, motivate them, instruct them in safe and efficient work methods, and supervise the whole crew’s activities while working alongside them. The work will encompass all aspects of vegetable, herb and flower production and harvesting. These tasks will include, but are not limited to, record keeping, planting, greenhouse work, weeding, irrigation, harvest, washing and packing. Previous tractor experience is a plus.

We are looking for someone who is flexible, productive, easy to work with, open minded, and responsible, with excellent communication skills and a good sense of humor to see them through the challenges of farming. The work can be physically challenging as we do the vast majority of our work by hand. Candidates should be able to lift 50 lbs, be ready to work outdoors in all kinds of weather, and have reliable transportation.

The position runs from April 15th through Thanksgiving. A commitment for the entire season is required. The crew leader will work a Monday throughFriday schedule with weekend greenhouse duties once a month. The hours will vary by season, but can be long (between 35 and 55hr/week).

Compensation: hourly wage commensurate with experience, and a large CSA share. Unfortunately, we can not provide housing.

The crew member position is intended for someone who has farmed for less than two years (or not at all), but is interested in working and learning on a small family farm operation. Crew members will work with the Farm Managers/Owners and Crew Leaders on all aspects of vegetable, herb and flower production and harvesting. These tasks will include, but are not limited to, planting, weeding, irrigation, greenhouse work, harvest, washing and packing.

We are looking for crew members who are flexible, productive, easy to work with, open minded, and responsible, with a good sense of humor to see them through the challenges of farming. Crew members must also have reliable transportation.

The work can be physically challenging as we do the vast majority of our work by hand. We will be working outside in all weather conditions. The hours will vary by season, but can be long (between 35 and 55hr/week). Crew members will work a Monday through Friday schedule with weekend greenhouse duties once a month. Candidates should be able to lift 50 lbs.

We have crew member positions beginning May 1st and May 15th, both running through Thanksgiving. Crew members must commit for the entire season.

We are seeking farmers’ market staff for the 2014 season. Market staffers should have a background in customer service, and ideally a strong familiarity with produce. An interest in cooking and/or a background in farming is a plus. A friendly personality and strong basic math skills are a must.

Market staffers will help with all aspects of the market from setup to breakdown, and will be responsible for selling produce during the hours the market is open. The work is physically challenging as we have to move hundreds of pounds of vegetables in and out of the truck. Candidates should be able to lift 50 lbs, be ready to work outdoors in all kinds of weather, and have reliable transportation.

We need 1 market staffer to work in Dedham from 10am to 7:00 pm all Wednesdays from June 18th through October 29th.

We need 2 market staffers to work in Roslindale from 7am to 3pm all Saturdays from June 7th through November 22nd. There is a possibility this position could extend through the winter.

We need 1 market staffer to work in JP from 8am to 3 pm all Saturdays from May 31st through November 22nd. There is a possibility this position could extend through the winter.

Compensation: hourly wage commensurate with experience, and vegetables from the farm.

The crew leader position is seasonal (June, July and August), 3 days per week (Friday, Saturday and Sunday). It is intended for someone with 1 or more seasons of farming experience. The weekend crew leader will be responsible for helping with harvest and general field work on Friday and coordinating the weekend crew on Saturdays and Sundays, based on instructions received from the farm managers. This person needs to be able to manage others successfully, motivate them, instruct them in safe and efficient work methods, and supervise the whole crew’s activities while working alongside them. The work will encompass various aspects of vegetable, herb and flower production and harvesting. These tasks will include, but are not limited to, record keeping, planting, weeding, irrigation, harvest, washing and packing. Previous tractor experience is a plus.

We are looking for someone who is flexible, productive, easy to work with, open minded, and responsible, with excellent communication skills and a good sense of humor to see them through the challenges of farming. The work can be physically challenging as we do the vast majority of our work by hand. Candidates should be able to lift 50 lbs, be ready to work outdoors in all kinds of weather, and have reliable transportation.

The position runs from June 6th through August 29th, 2014. A commitment for the entirety of the season is required. The hours will vary but will average about 24 hours/week. There is a chance this position could be extended into the fall. Compensation: hourly wage commensurate with experience, and vegetables from the farm. Unfortunately, we do not provide housing.

The weekend crew member position is seasonal (June, July and August), 3 days per week (Friday, Saturday and Sunday). It is intended for someone who has farmed for less than two years (or not at all), but is interested in working and learning on a small family farm operation. Crew members will work with the Farm Managers/Owners and Crew Leaders on all aspects of vegetable, herb and flower production and harvesting. These tasks will include, but are not limited to, planting, weeding, irrigation, greenhouse work, harvest, washing and packing.

We are looking for crew members who are flexible, productive, easy to work with, open minded, and responsible, with a good sense of humor to see them through the challenges of farming. Crew members must also have reliable transportation. Candidates should be able to lift 50 lbs. The work can be physically challenging as we do the vast majority of our work by hand. We will be working outside in all weather conditions.

The position runs from June 6th through August 29th, 2014. The hours will vary but will average 24 hours/week. Weekend crew members must commit to the entire summer season.

Compensation: hourly wage commensurate with experience, and vegetables from the farm. Unfortunately, we cannot provide housing.